As D+M Group (formerly D&M Holdings) continues to work on improving their efficiencies through restructuring and consolidation, well-known industry executive Stephen Shenefield leaves the company to pursue new opportunities. Shenefield originally joined the company to help with the re-invigoration of their Boston Acoustics brand, but went on to see his involvement expanded into related products under the Denon nameplate as well.
See more on this new development…
Multiple sources indicated to us that the D+M Group had recently made the decision to move product planning processes from Boston Acoustics’ regional home of Boston, MA to the company’s facility in Northern New Jersey. Much of the product development engineering functions will move to the company’s overseas headquarters in Kawasaki, Japan (south of Tokyo) – although some engineering will remain locally at the Boston facility.
According to sources, as many as five positions were eliminated as part of this restructuring. We recently reported on the appointment of Andrew Clark to President of Peachtree Audio. Clark, like Shenefield, was on the D+M Group product development team up in Boston.
Makes sense…
This new restructuring will more tightly organize product planning with the company’s more centralized sales and marketing functions located in their Mahwah, New Jersey, North American headquarters.
The move by D+M makes sense, Shenefield told us. The high growth categories today are non-traditional speaker systems, such as soundbars, TV platform systems, powered speakers, and wireless speakers, etc. As a result, dedicated development teams that in the past were involved with Denon products, Marantz products, and Boston Acoustics products were often each independently working on parallel areas.
Combined development…
With the company’s new structure, these separate brand-specific development teams will be brought together and products will be created more efficiently. It also appears that the new structure will result in tighter coordination between product planning and marketing. Although some companies treat these disciplines as though they are separate functions – many others consider them directly related.
Shenefield had been with D+M since 2008 as their Director of Program Management for Denon & Boston Acoustics. This was his second stint there as earlier in his career, from 2000-2005, Shenefield had been D+M’s Vice President of Engineering for the Boston Acoustics brand.
Making great products…
Besides D+M, Shenefield also worked with Lucasfilm’s THX Division as Director of Home THX Product Development and Marketing…and at Worldspace Satellite Radio as Senior Vice President of Receiver Technology.
Shenefield tells us he’s looking for a new opportunity that capitalizes on both his product development experience and his organization and leadership skills to direct a group, division, or company that is interested in making great products.
Shenefield can be reached at (617) 510-1664 or at stephen@shenefield.com.
For more information on D&M Group, see: www.dmglobal.com.
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